Category Archives: nature conservation

Scientists Identify World’s Largest Water Lily Species

biodiversity, nature conservation, , ,

Forget about frogs, this water lily species is big enough for humans to hop around on. Scientists have just identified a third species of giant water lily, after a rather large one at London’s Kew Gardens prompted horticulturists to suspect it did not fit into the two previously known groups. Native to Bolivia in South America, the species is the largest of its kind and has been named Victoria boliviana.

The aquatic plants have flowers that turn from white to pink and can grow to 3 meters in the wild. The biggest, located in Bolivia, reaches a full 3.2 meters, or about 10.5 feet. “In the face of a fast rate of biodiversity loss, describing new species is a task of fundamental importance; we hope that our multidisciplinary framework might inspire other researchers who are seeking approaches to rapidly and robustly identify new species,” said Kew scientist Natalia Przelomska. If you want to see it for yourself, all three giant water lily species float side-by-side at the Princess of Wales Conservatory at Kew Gardens.

New Year – New Goals!

biodiversity, Communities, Home Landscapes, nature conservation, Neighborhoods, Parks & Sanctuaries, Wildlife & Plants

A belated Happy New Year!

I spent the last month or so of 2021 thinking seriously about what I have been doing over the past few years and have come to the decision that I have not been doing the things that I really want to do. So…I am changing my focus and my direction. What I am actually doing is “re-focusing” on my life-long mission connected with nature conservation and to get more people involved with nature where they live, work, and play. With that, I also believe that we all must truly “Think Global and Act Local.”

So, to “think global” I have created the Natural Communities Campaign. The Ultimate goal is to protect 50% of the Earth by the year 2050 as protected areas and reverse the tremendous downward spiral we are witnessing at present in the loss of biodiversity. To learn more click: Half-Earth.

An interim goal for the Natural Communities Campaign is to support the global effort underway to secure the protection of biologically rich areas of Earth to the tune of 30% of the planet by the year 2030, which is being called the 30X30 Project. Through the Natural Communities Campaign website and blog, I will be providing ongoing information about global biodiversity matters and updates on progress being made regarding the 30X30 project.

To bring the 30X30 global goal down to a national and local level, I have launched an initiative called Conservation Landscapes for America. Through the Conservation Landscapes for America website and blog, I will be providing information about the 30X30 Project in the United States and well as supporting and showcasing government agencies, non-government agencies, and private landowners who are practicing conservation landscape management on the lands and waters that they are responsible for.

 

In addition to the biodiversity-related goals, another main goal is to get more people involved in nature and natural resource management where they live, work, and play. I hope that the information provided on the two websites mentioned above will become a “one-stop-shop” of sorts for information about nature, biodiversity efforts, resources that people can use to start or grow their own nature-based initiatives at home, in their communities, their counties, regions, etc.

Finally, this Nature of Things website and blog will be managed as a “portal” to the two other websites mentioned, but the Nature of Things blog will focus on my personal nature and biodiversity efforts in three local regions in the United States; the Capital Region of New York, the Tampa Bay Region of Florida and the Southwestern Region of Indiana.